[2]

“You know I wasn’t serious about what I said, right?” Ethan said, cupping his wife’s face so she wouldn’t look away.

Auri, who was fixing his tie, let out a displeased huff. “Pregnant women are sensitive, Ethan. And words like that come far too easily from you.”

Ethan pulled her into a gentle embrace. Since Anna arrived the day before, Auri had been unusually quiet. Ethan was sure it all stemmed from his careless remark. He shouldn’t have said something that could hurt a woman who was pregnant—far more sensitive than usual. “I’m sorry.”

Auri let out another long breath. “Alright. Just… please don’t say things that make me overthink.”

Ethan nodded in understanding. “By the way, I’ll be working late today. There’s a lot going on at H&N. You know how sly RedFashion can be.”

She smiled faintly. “I’m sure you’ll handle it. I hope everything goes smoothly today.”

“Are you going to Nocture today?”

Auri nodded brightly. “I haven’t been there for three days. That’s enough rest after the cramps yesterday. I’ll be more careful. I promise.”

Ethan looked at her with clear reluctance. “Alright. You must be missing your routine there, huh?”

What Ethan said was true. Nocture Flore was the flower shop Auri had been running for the past three years. Fueled by her love for plants and flower arrangements, she had opened the shop not far from the city center. Ethan had fully supported her from the start, and for Auri, it was something she truly enjoyed.

“Come on, you should get going now,” Auri said, gently nudging her husband’s shoulder. “If not, you’ll be late. As a responsible CEO, you should set a good example for your employees.”

Ethan chuckled. They left the bedroom and went downstairs, chatting about trivial things along the way.

“Drive safely,” Auri said just before Ethan got into his car.

“You too.” Ethan pressed a loving kiss on her forehead. “Don’t overdo it at Nocture. I’ll message your assistant to keep an eye on you there. You remember what the doctor said last week, right?”

“Alright, alright,” Auri laughed softly.

“Then I’ll—”

“Ethan!” Anna called out, walking toward them a little too hastily, a bit careless until—“Argh!”

“Oh my God!”

Thankfully, Ethan reacted quickly, catching Anna before she could fall. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Tell me if your stomach feels painful.”

He panicked, firing question after question at Anna—who, instead of answering right away, offered a faint smile from within his arms.

“You still have great reflexes. Thank you.”

Ethan cleared his throat briefly. “Be more careful next time, Anna. You’re pregnant.”

“I didn’t want you to forget your lunch.” Anna held out a paper bag with a lunch box inside. “I stayed in the kitchen longer just to make this for you. You’ve always liked my cooking, haven’t you?”

Ethan looked momentarily taken aback. His eyes flicked to Auri, as if silently asking for her approval.

“Oh… I shouldn’t have done this, should I?” Anna pulled the lunch bag back. “I just wanted to make you lunch, Ethan. I thought Auri must already be busy preparing things for you.”

The sadness on Anna’s face made Ethan reach out and take the paper bag almost reflexively.

“Thank you. I’ll eat it at lunchtime.”

Anna beamed. “Drive safely.” She waved energetically as Ethan got into his car, and soon after, the vehicle pulled away from the house.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Anna said, still smiling brightly. “You don’t mind me making lunch for Ethan, do you, Auri? I hope not. This is just one way for me to repay his kindness.”

Auri met Anna’s gaze steadily. “If your intention is sincere, I won’t stop you.”

“Of course. Why would you?” Anna patted Auri’s shoulder lightly. “Ethan has always liked my cooking. Just like when we used to live close to each other back then.”

She said it without the slightest hint of awkwardness. Perhaps noticing Auri’s silence, Anna continued, “Oh, of course. I’m sure he prefers your cooking much more now. Like I said, I only wanted to repay his kindness. Ethan has always been good to me. Ever since we were young.”

With that, Anna turned and walked straight into the house, leaving Auri standing there, frowning.

Perhaps it was only a wife’s intuition—something Auri had long tried to ignore—but with each passing day, it became harder to deny that something felt off.

Whenever Ethan directed his attention toward Auri, Anna would immediately find a way to claim it back. And it was no longer over trivial things or simple requests she could easily handle herself. Anna often complained of sudden fatigue, dizziness, or persistent ache around her stomach. At other times, she mentioned how her legs were starting to swell from the pregnancy.

Yet just moments before those complaints, Anna had looked perfectly fine.

It happened every time Ethan showed concern for Auri.

And whenever Auri tried to call her out on it, Anna would always say,

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Truly, I didn’t mean for it to be like this. Who else can I rely on if not Ethan?”

“Ethan, I’m sorry for burdening you so often. I never meant to. But who else do I have to lean on? You’re the one closest to me. Right?”

Because of all that, Ethan’s attention became increasingly centered on Anna. He kept asking Auri to be more understanding, to show more empathy toward her. But as the days passed, Anna’s behavior grew more frequent, more intense, more blatant in the way she pulled Ethan’s focus toward herself.

Nearly a week went by. Auri tried to hold herself together swallowing her misgivings, forcing her heart to stay calm for the sake of the child she was carrying. Yet deep inside, an unsettling realization slowly took root, tightening in her chest: this was no longer just about feelings. Something was being taken from her, little by little.

Including… that afternoon.

Valencia Harrow, Auri’s mother-in-law, came to visit.

Auri had just returned from Nocture Flore, her flower shop. Normally, whenever Valencia planned to come by Ethan would always let her know—without fail—and he would ask Auri to come home early.

But today was different.

Valencia arrived without any notice.

Auri had just stepped into the dining room when she saw her mother-in-law already there. The sight stopped her short.

“Mom?” Auri greeted her. “You didn’t say you were coming.”

But it wasn’t only Valencia’s presence that confused her. Ethan was already seated at the dining table, as if… she was the only one who hadn’t known about this meeting.

Valencia glanced at her briefly, offering only a thin smile. “I didn’t come for you.”

The words made Auri freeze for a split second, but she quickly forced herself to maintain her composure. From the very beginning of her marriage to Ethan, Valencia had never truly liked her. Still, Auri had always believed that one day, that dislike might fade. After all, how could affection grow without familiarity?

“Auri?” Anna’s voice came from the kitchen. “You’re home? I’m preparing dinner.”

Auri turned toward the kitchen. Anna stood there, wearing the house apron Auri usually wore. Her hair was neatly tied back, her movements confident and practiced—like this was her kitchen.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Anna added lightly. “I didn’t get a chance to ask your permission. I wanted to have dinner with Mommy. She said she missed my cooking. You know, our relationship is going way back. And it just so happens Ethan isn’t working late today.” Anna smiled brightly as she spoke.

As if what she was doing was nothing to worry about.

Auri clenched her fists, irritation surging at Anna’s behavior this time.

“It’s good you came home just in time for dinner,” Anna continued cheerfully. “It’ll be ready soon. You don’t mind helping me, do you?”

Auri didn’t move from where she stood.

“Do you mind helping Anna?” Valencia spoke up this time. “You should be grateful she’s preparing dinner. That’s one of your duties as a wife, isn’t it?” Her tone carried unmistakable disdain.

Then Valencia turned to Anna, her voice instantly softening. “And why are you pushing yourself like this, Anna? I was only joking when I said I missed your cooking. Come on, sit down. Ethan said your pregnancy has been troublesome lately.”

The contrast was stark—gentle warmth for Anna, and cold displeasure reserved entirely for Auri.

Anna let out a light laugh. “I’m just preparing something simple. I’m fine, Mom.”

And they went on, reminiscing about the past. The dining room filled with their laughter—one after another—while Auri, sitting right there, was only included in the conversation now and then. As if her presence mattered only marginally.

Ethan didn’t seem to notice that she had been completely ignored, as if they were the real family.

Unable to endure the way she had been treated any longer, Auri pushed her chair back with a movement that was sharper than she intended. The sudden scrape drew every gaze to her—and then—

“Where are you going?” Ethan asked, clearly confused. “You haven’t finished your dinner.”

Auri curved her lips into a thin smile as she replied, “I’m not hungry. And it seems my presence isn’t really needed here anyway, is it?”

“Auri, why are you acting like this?” Ethan pressed, his tone tightening. “We’ve been talking casually this whole time. So what’s the problem?”

“We?” Auri echoed, her emphasis deliberates. “I wasn’t part of it. You’ve been talking about things I don’t even know.”

“What is wrong with you, Auri?” Valencia snapped. “You’re making the atmosphere uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Auri said calmly. “I just want to be sure of one thing. Because from the very beginning, it seems I was the only one who didn’t know about this dinner. Isn’t that right, Anna?”

“It’s not like—”

“Sit down, Auri. Show some respect for Anna—she went to all this trouble to cook for us,” Ethan ordered firmly.

Auri lifted her gaze to him, her voice steady but edged with quiet hurt. “Then what about me? Have I been respected in this house at all?”